Question

From the act of pollinating flowers, a bee population gains the benefit of a 0.06 growth rate increase per month. However, the costs imposed by the flower (bees occasionally getting stuck, time spent pollinating the flower instead of pollinating other species, etc.) is a 0.02 reduction in growth rate per month. The flower gains benefits from the pollination that enhance its population growth rate by 0.05 per month, but it incurs costs (feeding the bees, damage done by the bees) that reduce its growth rate by 0.07 per month. Which of the following statements about the relationship between the bees and the flowers is true?

a. It is a host?parasite relationship in which the bees are the hosts and the flowers are the parasites.
b. It is a host?parasite relationship in which the flowers are the hosts and the bees are the parasites.
c. It is an amensalism
d. It is a commensalism.
e. It is a mutualism.

Answer 1

Mutualism

Step-by-step explanation:

All organisms in nature interact with other organisms in different ways. Symbiotic interactions involve a relationship between two or more organisms of different species in which one or all of them turn to be beneficiated by that relationship. These species create permanent mutual dependence.

Symbiotic interactions include:

• Amensalism refers to a biological relationship established between two organisms, in which one of them avoids the growth, development, or survival of the other one. In this interaction, one of the organisms seems to be strongly affected by the other one. Meanwhile, the other organism does not seem to be affected at all.

• Commensalism: In this case, the fitness of only one of the species seems to increase, while the other species is not affected at all, nor positively or negatively. The unaffected species might provide food or refuge to the other species, which is beneficiated.

• Parasitism: In this case, one of the species is beneficiated, while the other suffers a consequence, reducing its fitness. These interactions are mainly about nutrition, although there might be other benefits too. Some parasite species might coexist with their host, while some others might get them ill to the point of causing death.

• Mutualism: The interaction is favorable for both species. Their fitness increases with these interactions, although they do not need this relationship to survive. The degree of benefits might vary among species or might be equal.

In the relationship bee-flower, no one parasites the other. No one affects negatively the fitness of the other one. And both species seem to be equally beneficiated (bees find a source of food, and flowers get to be fertilized). This is a mutualistic relationship.